TAMPA, Fla. -- The stack of credentials hanging from the neck of L. Scott Frantz was half an inch thick Thursday night.

Tucked somewhere in the middle was the ace of clubs: the one for the green room at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. It was the least Mitt Romney could do, seeing as the 36th District state senator has hosted the GOP presidential nominee three times at his Greenwich home.

Frantz started his day Thursday at an invitation-only-event in St. Petersburg, Fla., with Romney and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

A venture capitalist like Romney and a philanthropist, Frantz emphasized he's not in it for access or favors.

"Everybody I know is in it to support the country and future generations," Frantz, 52, said.

Frantz is a "bundler," a term of the business that refers to top fundraisers' ability to recruit and bundle numerous contributions from a host of well-heeled donors.

"These are people that have the wherewithal to fly in and fly out," said former Rep. Rob Simmons of the resources, like private jets, that distinguish the biggest money players.

For bundlers like Frantz, the former Massachusetts governor Bain Capital boss is no short sale. He's a long term investment, spanning not one but two election cycles.

Romney's core supporters from Connecticut appear to be stepping up their game, contributing $2.8 million since last year to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Washington, D.C., organization tracks the role of money in campaigns.

Frantz gave $100,000 to the super PAC last December.

Donald K. Miller, a fellow Greenwich resident and chairman of the global equity asset management firm Axiom International Investors, has given $75,000 to the PAC.

He was also on the convention floor when Romney accepted the GOP presidential nomination.

The rise of Super PACs has given major bundlers an additional conduit to help their candidate. So far during the presidential campaign, the Republicans have benefitted more from Super PACS, committees which have to operate independent of a candidate's operation and which don't labor under the same donor restraints that are on candidate and party committees.

Former Connecticut GOP Chairman Christopher Healy doesn't see what all the fuss is over bundlers.

"They get this silly title," Healy said. "They're fundraisers. All it is, is people hitting up their friends, most of whom are like-minded politically."

Healy said being a bundler involves a certain amount of salesmanship.

"People don't just write you a check if you're a friend," Healy said. "They wrote you a check if you make a case."